Placing Your Order

Our Event Planning and Catering Services staff wants to help make your event successful and we recommend you plan ahead. Our team will work closely with you to ensure your event needs are met with customized menus and event packages.

*Please note that any events requested to occur on recognized state holidays will incur an up-charge of 1.5 times the standard rate to compensate the additional food service labor required for such events during closure of campus.

Time Lines

Order Confirmation

Cancel/Change

Order Minimums

Pickup & Delivery Option

Catering Equipment Rental

Pricing & Payments

Hosted Liquor Service

China Service & Linens

Special Requests

Time Lines

All Event Requests must be confirmed prior to menu development.

Menu requests must be made at least 14 days in advance.

Menu selection may be limited after the 14 day deadline.

A late order fee will be processed for new orders made within 7 days of the event.

Final counts are required 3 working days prior to the event.

A signed contract is required to secure services prior to your event.

Order Confirmation

An itemized list of your request will be sent to you to serve as your confirmation. Please review this document carefully to confirm that all information is correct. It is our desire to serve you promptly at the hour you select.Additional charges will be assessed for every half hour delay past your designated start or ending times. In the event that your group will be arriving later than scheduled, please notify the Catering staff. If there are any adjustments you wish to make or if you have questions, please contact the Event Planning office no later than three business days prior to your event. To ensure the highest possible quality of food and services, your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Cancel/Change

We will honor a three day minimum on cancellation of any catering events without penalty. If the request to cancel services is given with less than three days’ notice, you may be charged up to 25% of quoted fees. Cancellations within 24 hours of the event will result in a charge of the full cost of the event. Final counts for all events are required three working days prior to the event. While we can sometimes accommodate you with less lead time, sufficient notice allows us to schedule our production staff needs, so we may best serve you and other clients. Note: The number of Guaranteed Attendants will generally be charged even if fewer guests attend. In the event that no guarantee number is given, the estimate number as listed on the Event Contract will be used. Should your guest count exceed expectations, you will be charged for additional quests.

Order Minimums

Due to the additional labor required to fulfill such food requests, minimum orders are required. Orders for less than the posted minimum requirement will be charge for the minimum requirement as listed. Small groups are welcome to go through our dining facilities located in the URC, or Tawanka Hall. Persons can pay cash or arrange in advance for meals to be charged to the sponsor's bill.

Pickup & Delivery Option

Delivery charges will be assessed for events held outside of the main University Dining Services buildings (Tawanka Hall and Pence Union Building). To avoid delivery charges, you may arrange for a pickup for your items at one of our Dining Facilities. Delivery charges may increase due to the location and level of service required for your event (including for the delivery of rental equipment). Any event requesting delivery outside of Cheney city limits will incur a minimum delivery charge of $100.00. Clients will be charged at a rate of $25.00 for each additional hour required to staff the event.

Catering Equipment Rental

As the host of the catered event, you are responsible for the equipment, serving, and tableware we have provided you.

Tablecloths are provided on food/beverage buffets and for served meals options.

Any missing or damaged catering equipment or supplies will be charged to your account at replacement cost.

The sponsoring organization and or individual will be held responsible for the equipment and its condition.

Equipment can be rented from our department. Arrangements can be made through the Event Planning Office.

Please refer to the Rental Equipment page for more information.

Pricing & Payments

Menu Pricing

The menu prices published within the catering menu is intended to be the prices charged for the duration of the catering year. Because of sharp increases in food costs, Catering Services reserves the right to adjust the price of items that have experienced significant escalation of cost or to recommend a replacement menu item. Such adjustments or replacements will be stated in writing before issuance of a revised contract and with full disclosure to all parties.

Payment

Event Planning will send an Invoice to the billing address provided following your event. This form should be signed and dated by an individual with budget authority and returned to the Event Planning Office.

We have beautiful china, goblets, and silverware to help you formalize your event. The charges will differ depending on the type of service you choose. We provide disposable ware and linens for food service tables with our standard catering events. Please consult with our Event Planner to upgrade your special event with full table service and qualified service personnel.

Linens

EWU Catering Service's standard is to provide linens for food service tables as well as seating tables. This does not include pick-up orders or items ordered ala carte through our menu. We are happy to work with you to arrange an order for custom linens (color, size, length, etc.) Additional linens for check-in tables, display, seating tables, etc., are available for a rental fee of $8.00 per tablecloth and napkins at $0.60 each. Table skirting is available for $17.50 per table. Confirm additional linens and skirting with at least five business days in advance. Linens are subject to availability.

Special Requests

Our Event Planner will gladly customize menus for particular occasions, additional charges may apply. Please allow for ten business days advanced notification. Our Event Planner can make arrangements for flowers, special decorations or equipment to complement your event.

Policies and Guidelines

Inclement Weather Policy

When inclement weather impacts the normal operation of our catering service, we will make every attempt to safely provide our services for our guests. We will also make every attempt to contact our guests to confirm the status of their event and notify them in a timely manner regarding any changes in our services. This includes the delivery and setup of rental equipment (i.e. freestanding tents). During these challenging weather incidents, it is necessary for us to assess the safety of our team, while giving the utmost consideration to our catering guest’s orders.

Outdoor Event Request Guideline & Disclaimer

Any group requesting catering services may request for the event to be held outside. We also ask for you to plan a weather backup option (see Inclement Weather Policy). EWU Catering Services is requiredby the local health department to provide coverage for our food buffets and other processes to insure the safety of the food items. Any event requested outside will incur a minimum of $50.00 charge and may increase as the scope of the events grows. We also reserve the right to make changes to your event outside due to factors regarding safety, insect infestation and weather

Health Department Regulations

Due to Spokane County Health Department regulations, typical food service time for an event is one-two hours, not including setup or cleanup time. If additional time is required, service costs will be calculated accordingly. Should your event require catering services (beverage, staff, equipment rental) exceeding the two-hour time frame, additional fees will apply. Any removal of food that has been stored at room temperature during the event needs to be discarded after two hours. Our servers are instructed to compost all buffet items and are not allowed to authorize guests to take home items at the conclusion of a catered event. By removing leftover food from the event site, the client releases EWU Dining & Catering Services from any liability with regard to possible spoilage or food-borne illness.

Open Flame and Smoking Policy

In accordance with University Policy, smoking and open flames are not permitted at catered events. Should your event require candlelight, please contact our Event Planner to discuss how to obtain written permission for such needs.

Sustainability Practices

Sustainability embodies the premise that we must make mindful decisions about the quality of life for ourselves and future generations. University Dining Services has the ethical and moral obligation to carefully asses all of our decisions that connect to issues of economic viability, social justice and environment preservation. We recognize that the benefits to all of our local and global neighbors are substantial and we want to be a part of creating a healthier world. Sustainable Practices include:

Focus on Increased utilization of local foods, local being those items from or produced in the tristate area.

Dining Services provided Eco Products; they are renewable and compostable disposable products which are ASTM certified, 100% biomass and suitable for commercial composting. Products are collected from the kitchen and dish room areas in all of our operations for composting. They are excellent fuel components for the Spokane Waste to Energy Plant, where they burn cleaner and produce 2nd generation energy